THE B1+ SITE EXPANSION - THE ARCH CLIMBING WALL FACILITY

by Orville Phillips

The Arch Wall Climbing facility is located on the site of the Old Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey, South London. They seek to expand the facility’s capacity and introduce a cafe? area with retail space. The most significant technical challenge was increasing capacity of the single-story building, while minimising impact upon the adjoining office building. This design proposes an upwards extension, while maintaining the original factory façade. Drawing inspiration from the New Children’s Museum, San Diego and Southwark College’s Waterloo Campus, a leaning sawtooth roof with an east facing glazed curtain wall is proposed to minimise loss of light to and views from the adjoining building, while maximising natural light within the facility. A series of large, bespoke, protruding, precast concrete twin-wall panels separate the internal space, while also providing support for the roof’s bespoke structural system. The roof covering is based on the Kalzip system, utilising a corten finish.